Shelly Laurenston
Bear Meets Girl (Pride #7)
Kensington/Mar. 27, 2012/$14.00 print, $9.59 digital
He’s big, burly, and way smarter than your average shapeshifting bear. He’s also about to get trapped by own his game. . .
Lou Crushek is a reasonable, mellow, easygoing kind of guy. But once someone starts killing the scumbags he works so hard to bust, that really gets under his fur. Especially when that someone is a curvy she-tiger with a skill set that’s turning Crush’s lone-bear world upside down—and bringing his passion out of hibernation. . .
As a member of an elite feline protection unit, Marcella Malone has no problem body-dropping anyone who hunts her kind. But Crush is proving one major pain in her gorgeous tail. The only reason she’s joined forces with him is to track down the wealthy human who’s got her entire species in his ruthless sights. It sure isn’t because Crush’s stubborn and contrary attitude is rubbing Cella in all the right ways.
Shelly Laurenston’s Pride series is known for its outrageous humor and its sexy shifters. Bear Meets Girl, the seventh book of the series, was no exception. I’ve only read the first book in the Pride series, and expected to have a few laughs while reading Bear Meets Girl, but I never thought it would be laugh-out-loud funny.
Bear Meets Girl is your typical opposites attract story: Lou “Crush” Crushek is a polar bear and a cop. He is equally serious about his job and his hockey. When you think of polar bears, you think cute and cuddly (thanks to those Coke commercials), but Crush is anything but. His black eyes have been described as “soulless” and thanks to his long, unkempt hair he has been mistaken for an axe murderer or serial killer, depending on the day.
Cella Malone is a contractor for the KSV. She’s bold, tough and is the Bare Knuckle Champ five times running. She’s not shy about anything, so when she and Crush first meet, she leaves a lasting impression. Crush and Cella meet under dubious circumstances. They are both naked, in bed, after an insane amount of alcohol and jello shots. When Lou awakens with a crushing headache and a naked female body draped over him, he instantly regretsthe jello shots and hopes that he didn’t have sex with the strange women.
“Tell me we didn’t have sex last night.”
“As drunk as you were? I don’t think you could have gotten it up with a crane.”
Crush is the perfect straight man for Cella’s outrageous mouth. Crush is very straight-laced and throughout the book, he doesn’t quite “get” Cella. Is she being serious or is she kidding? Crush, on the other hand, brings his sense of humor to the story. Because he is so by the book and straight-laced, his honest answers in the face of sarcastic questions make him accidentally funny without him realizing it. As much as Crush wants to stay as far away from Cella as possible, he can’t seem to get away from her. She invades his work, his home, even when he’s at the SportsCenter watching his favorite hockey team play, she’s there. Crush is constantly frustrated by Cella and she loves poking at him, getting underneath his skin. Cella is like the boy who picks on the girl because he likes her but doesn’t want to admit that he likes her.
“All right, fine. In truth, I just like how your face gets all red when I embarrass you.”
“Honesty. How nice of you to finally use some.”
“If it makes you feel any better, I only torment those I actually like.”
“Why would that bit of information make me feel better? That’s like saying ‘I only set fire to the ones I love.’”
It’s hard to imagine that a paranormal romance can be light and humorous and actually work, but Shelly Laurenston does it exceedingly well. Bear Meets Girl is hilarious, sexy fun. The dialogue is smart and funny, and at times outrageously shocking. There were many times where I gasped in shock and then started laughing.
Marquetta: Reader, Blogger, Smut Lover.
